The two lane road leading to Amicalola Falls State Park is usually pretty empty, not many houses in the area, just a road leading from here to there and beyond. Pretty empty, that is, for 11 months out of the year. During October, however, it is buzzing with cars, a traffic jam actually, out in the middle of nowhere - there is even someone directing traffic. The sign back this side of the curve says it all - Beware - Pumpkin Pickers Ahead. Folks come from near and far - you can tell by reading their car tags - to Burt's Pumpkin Farm in Dawson County, Georgia.
After finding a place to park, you walk through the big open barn/store with displays of homemade goodies, decorations, and pumpkin carving supplies. Out behind the barn are pumpkins arranged by size, color, use. There are green wheelbarrows for customers to use to gather their picks.
The hayride is very popular, folks pile in the wagon behind the tractor and take off around the farm, seeing fields of pumpkins, pretty fall leaves, once we saw a bear family in the corn patch.Melissa took the kids recently on a school break, it being a Monday morning the place was deserted, a good time to go, that is unless you like crowds of tourists. The workers were busy replenishing the pumpkins after a busy weekend. Pumpkins were being tossed from the loaded trucks from worker to worker until reaching that perfect place for display in the patch behind the barn, where they were gently set down.
Of course, the visit to the farm is only part of the experience, carving the pumpkins is the best part! After much creativity and mess, you have personalized Jack-O-Lanterns, and a whole mess of roasted pumpkin seeds to snack on.Visit the farm here, and Amicalola State Park here and here.
